Waves women’s volleyball players invited to Team USA tryouts

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Waves freshman women’s volleyball player Emily Hellmuth (10) was one of seven Pepperdine players invited to the USA Women’s National Team Open Program in Colorado. Photo by Morgan Davenport.

Seven Pepperdine women’s volleyball players participated in the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado last weekend. 

The Waves’ group included graduate student Riley Patterson, sophomore Grace Chillingsworth, freshmen Rosemary Archer and Emily Hellmuth, and juniors Birdie Hendrickson, Emma Ammerman, and Meg Brown. 

The septet were among more than 200 volleyball players from across the U.S. invited to the Feb. 25-27 red, white, and blue open tryout. The event was part of the selection process for the U.S. Women’s National Team, NCAA Elite Athlete List, the Collegiate National Team, and — for those born in 2003 or later — the U21 Women’s National Team that will compete in the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championship. 

Pepperdine junior Emma Ammerman was one of seven Waves invited to Team USA tryouts. Photo By Morgan Davenport.
Pepperdine junior women’s volleyball player Emma Ammerman of was one of seven Waves invited to Team USA tryouts in Colorado. Photo By Morgan Davenport.

At the tryouts, the players took part in skill activities and match play. The spectacle was by National Team head coach Karch Kiraly and his staff, with additional volleyball coaches. 

Pepperdine women’s volleyball has had a presence on past USA squads. Waves alum Linda Chisholm helped the Women’s National Team win the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics, and Kim Hill won a bronze with the team at the 2016 Olympics and gold at the 2020 games. Hill, a Team USA member of eight years, retired from the squad in January 2022.

The seven Waves’ participation in the tryouts comes more than two months after Pepperdine finished its 2022 campaign with a 19-11 record and first-round appearance in the NCAA Championships. The Waves were defeated by Stanford.